13 Leadership Competitions for High School Students
Leadership plays a role in almost every path you choose, and high school gives you a good starting point to begin developing it. If you are looking for a way to practice it in a structured setting, leadership competitions are one of the more useful options.
What do leadership competitions involve?
In these competitions, you are usually placed in situations where you have to think quickly and work with others. You might take part in debates, build a business idea, solve a case, or present a solution to a panel. You work in teams, divide roles, and bring your ideas together into something clear and presentable.
Why should you participate in a leadership competition in high school?
These competitions help you build skills that are relevant across fields. Whether you plan to study engineering, economics, or anything else, the ability to organise ideas and work with people remains important.
They also give you stronger material for applications. You can show how you handled a situation, what role you played, and what the outcome was. They are also practical in terms of time and effort. You are actively applying your skills during the competition, and they are usually shorter commitments compared to summer programs or internships.
In addition to leadership competitions, you can consider leadership pre-college programs, or have a look at leadership programs abroadfor an international and globally-focused experience.
With that, here are 12 leadership competitions for high school students!
13 Leadership Competitions for High School Students
Harvard Student Agencies Case Competition (Advise Apple’s New CEO)
The cheapest components in Apple’s devices - storage and RAM - have suddenly become the most expensive. Should they raise prices and add value, quietly cut hardware quality to save margins, or absorb the cost to keep users locked in the ecosystem?
The Harvard Student Agencies Case Competition (HSACC) calls on high schoolers globally to solve this live business case.
Format: Virtual (no teams required)
Eligibility: Any student enrolled in high school as of Dec 31, anywhere in the world.
Deliverable: 10-slide deck by Oct 31 (shortlisted students will also pitch on video)
Prizes: Six awards totalling over $13,600 in cash and an internship with a high growth startup. Every student who submits receives a certificate.
Judges: A panel representing McKinsey, VC-backed startups, Harvard, and Stanford
Cost: $5 until Aug 31 | $10 until Sept 30 | $15 until Oct 17
You don't need to know how to read a financial statement to compete. The HSACC provides three free prep workshops to teach you the fundamentals. Ready to build a strategy you can actually talk about in your next college or internship interview?
Register here or read the case teaser here.
Blue Ocean Competition
Location: Virtual
Cost: None; cash prizes are awarded
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: February 22 - May 13
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: High school students from all over the world; solo or team up with up to four friends
The Blue Ocean Competition is an online entrepreneurship competition where you build and present a business idea based on identifying a gap in the market. You work individually or in a small team, and from the beginning, you are responsible for shaping the direction of your idea, which means taking leadership over how the problem is defined and solved. The submission is a short video pitch where you explain your thinking, your model, and your potential impact. You have to decide what matters, what to include, and how to present it clearly. Judges look closely at how well you have thought through your approach, so the process naturally pushes you to take ownership rather than follow a template.
Technovation Girls
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free; Stipends of $250-$750 per team member
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: January–April; Submission Apr 20; Finals Oct
Application Deadline: March 18
Eligibility: Ages 8-18-year-old female-identifying participants, transgender participants, and those who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming and want to be part of a female-identified environment; Must work in teams of 1 to 5
Technovation Girls is a global competition where you work in a team to build a tech-based solution to a real problem. The process runs over several months, so teams have to organize themselves, divide responsibilities, and keep progress steady. Leadership becomes important early on, whether it is coordinating the app development, managing deadlines, or guiding discussions when the team disagrees. You also prepare a business plan and a pitch, which requires someone to take responsibility for structuring the idea clearly. The experience is built around teamwork, but it only works well when someone steps into a leadership role and keeps things moving.
Global Social Leaders (GSL) Global Goals Competition
Location: Virtual
Cost: None; Certificates and awards available
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: September - June
Application Deadline: Feb 17 is for Feedback; Final deadline is May 8
Eligibility: Students aged 11–18 in teams (3-7) from GSL Member Schools only
The GSL Global Goals Competition focuses on building a social impact project aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. You work in a team, but the process depends heavily on leadership within the group, especially when planning, executing, and tracking the project over time. You are expected to identify a problem, design a solution, and actually carry it out, which means taking responsibility for decisions and outcomes. Leadership is visible in how you organize your team, keep the project moving, and ensure that the work is consistent. By the time you present your project, it is clear how your team functioned and who took ownership.
Wharton Global Youth Program Global Competitions
Location: Virtual
Cost: None
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: Based on the competition you select
Application Deadline: Based on the competition you select
Eligibility: 9th to 12th-grade high school students in teams of four to six
Wharton’s global competitions, especially the Investment Competition, are built around teamwork and decision-making. You work in a team to manage a simulated investment portfolio, which means every decision has to be discussed, debated, and agreed upon. Leadership shows up in how you contribute to those discussions, guide decisions, and help the team stay focused over several weeks. You also prepare a final report explaining your strategy, so someone needs to take responsibility for structuring and presenting the team’s thinking clearly. The process reflects how well you can work within a team while still taking initiative.
Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: March 2 - June 23
Application Deadline: June 23
Eligibility: Entrepreneurs aged 13 and up are invited
In the Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition, you submit an idea that addresses one or more UN Sustainable Development Goals. You begin by structuring your idea and then develop it further through feedback and public engagement. Since much of the work is self-driven, leadership comes from how you manage your progress and keep improving your idea over time. You also interact with a wider audience through voting and feedback, which requires you to present your idea clearly and respond to input. The competition expects you to take responsibility for shaping and refining your work throughout.
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Location: Online
Cost: 10,000 yen per team
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: May 16 (12-hour business idea competition)
Application Deadline: April 20
Eligibility: High school students aged 14 to 18; a team of 3 to 8 eligible students
The Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge is a fast-paced competition where your team is given a problem and 12 hours to respond with a complete business idea. In such a short time, leadership becomes immediately visible, as someone has to guide the team, divide tasks, and keep everyone focused. You need to decide quickly what direction to take and how to organize your work. The pressure makes it clear how you handle responsibility, communication, and decision-making when there is no time to hesitate.
Diamond Challenge
Location: Online
Cost: Free; $100K prize pool
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: September 17 - April 23-24
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Teams must consist of 2-4 high school students aged 14-18; Each team is required to have one adult advisor aged 21 or older
The Diamond Challenge is a global entrepreneurship competition where you develop a business or social venture and present it through written and video submissions. You work in a team, and leadership is reflected in how the idea is developed and refined over time. Someone needs to take charge of organizing the work, aligning the team, and preparing for each stage of the competition. As you move to later rounds, the expectation is not just a strong idea, but also a clear explanation of how the team approached it and who took responsibility for different parts.
Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students
Location: South Orange, New Jersey, USA
Cost: Free; Cash prize awards
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: November 21
Application Deadline: October
Eligibility: All high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
The Pirates Pitch Competition is a pitch-based event where you submit a business idea and, if selected, present it to a panel of judges. Even though the format is simple, leadership shows in how you take ownership of your idea and present it with clarity. You need to structure your thoughts, anticipate questions, and respond confidently during the presentation. Preparing for this requires you to think through your idea independently and be able to explain it without relying on others.
High School Business Plan Competition
Location: Not specified
Cost: Not specified
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: March 13 - April 29
Application Deadline: March 13
Eligibility: High school and homeschool students living in the following Northeastern Pennsylvania counties: Berks, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Wayne
This competition requires you to develop a full business plan around a STEAM-based idea. You work through research, planning, and structured writing, which means taking responsibility for how your idea is built and explained. Leadership becomes important when organizing your work and preparing for the final presentation. If you reach the later stages, you are expected to present your idea clearly and respond to questions, which reflects how well you understand and manage your own project.
GENIUS Olympiad - Entrepreneurship Track
Location: Various locations across NYC, DC, and Boston
Cost: $60 application fee per project. Once selected, a $600 participation fee is required per participant.
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: March 25 - June 8-12
Application Deadline: Early March
Eligibility: Up to two students
In the GENIUS Olympiad Entrepreneurship Track, you work on a project that focuses on environmental impact through a business or social idea. The process begins with building a detailed plan that covers how your idea works, who it serves, and how it creates measurable change. You are expected to think through both the environmental and practical sides, not just propose something abstract. If selected, you present your work in front of judges, often supported by slides, models, or additional material. Preparing for that stage means organizing your ideas properly and being able to explain each part without gaps.
NFTE WSI Impact League
Location: Virtual
Cost: None; Monetary rewards given
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: September 9 - April 21
Application Deadline: December 12
Eligibility: Ages of 13 and 24 (solo or team)
NFTE’s Impact League gives you a structured space to build an idea around a real-world issue and develop it step by step. You can work alone or with a team, but in both cases, the responsibility of moving the idea forward stays with you. The program includes workshops, feedback sessions, and guided milestones, but you decide how your idea evolves at each stage. As you refine your concept, you also prepare a pitch that clearly explains your thinking and direction. By the time you reach the final round, your work reflects how consistently you handled decisions, feedback, and changes along the way. The process feels less like a one-time submission and more like something you manage over time.
BIG Idea Competition
Location: Virtual and an in-person final at the Northern State University Johnson Fine Arts Center, Aberdeen, South Dakota
Cost: None; Cash prizes and scholarships up to $55,000
Cohort Size: Not specified
Dates: October 24 - December 10
Application Deadline: October 24
Eligibility: Any high school student currently enrolled in a public, private, or home school (up to three students per team or individual)
The BIG Idea Competition is centered on developing and presenting a clear business concept through a structured written entry. You begin by putting your idea into a detailed format, explaining what you want to build, how it works, and why it matters. If selected, you move to the presentation stage, where you explain your idea in front of judges. The process is straightforward on paper, but it requires you to organize your thinking carefully and avoid overcomplicating things. In later stages, you may also work with a mentor who helps refine your idea before the final round. The experience depends on how clearly you can carry your idea from a written concept to a well-explained presentation.
If you’re looking for a leadership program that helps you build skills for leadership competitions, consider the Young Founders Lab!
If you want mentorship from successful entrepreneurs to build leadership skills, the Young Founders Lab is one of the strongest programs you can join in high school. It’s a 100% virtual start-up boot camp run by Harvard entrepreneurs, designed specifically for students who want to launch a company or non-profit.
In this program, you’ll get hands-on mentorship from founders and professionals from Google, Microsoft, McKinsey, and YC-backed companies, while building a venture that solves a real-world problem. Throughout the program, you will participate in live workshops and guided sessions that focus on leadership fundamentals such as strategic thinking, collaboration, and clear communication. You’ll attend live workshops, explore business fundamentals, refine your idea, and work toward a fully developed MVP and pitch.
Multiple cohorts run throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring, so you can join whenever it fits your schedule. Financial aid is available, and the program is open to all high school students, with no prior experience required.